Elizabeth and Zechariah

Passages

Familiarize yourself with this passage

 Luke 1:5-25; 57-80
Elizabeth and Zechariah are old and they have no kids. Zechariah was a priest. It was Zechariah’s turn to serve inside the temple.  While he was inside praying, the angel Gabriel came to him and told him he would have a son and that he should give him the name John.  Zechariah did not believe the angel, and so the angel told him he would not be able to speak until the baby was born, since he did not believe the word of the Lord.  Soon, Elizabeth became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy.  They named him John, just like the angel had said. It was at this time that Zechariah was able to speak again.  When he started speaking, he began by praising God.   John grew up and prepared the way for the coming of Jesus.

Object Lesson:

When Elizabeth and Zechariah’s baby was born, everyone was anxious to hear what they would name their little baby boy.  A name can tell us a lot about a person. Some parents choose to name their children based on the meaning of the name.  Spend some time researching the meanings of your children’s names. Ask the kids if any of them know the meaning of their names. Share the results of your findings with the kids. Explain to the children in the story they will hear today the people were surprised to find out the name of the baby because it was not what they expected.

Memory Verse

Luke 1:13
But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.”

Jesus Connection:

In Luke 1:76, Zechariah prophesied over his new born son, John. He said, “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him.” Finally, after all this time, God was going to give the people of Israel the Lord and Savior that they have been waiting for. Jesus was about to be born! And in the spirit of Elijah, John would prepare the way for the redeeming work of Jesus, according to the prophecies of old.

Songs:

Days of Elijah

These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the Word of the Lord, yes
And these are the days of his servant, Moses
Righteousness being restored
And these are the days of great trial
Of famine and darkness and sword
So we are the voice in the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord

CHORUS:
Behold he comes
Riding on a cloud
Shining like the sun
At the trumpet's call
Lift your voice
It's the year of jubilee
Out of Zion 'till salvation comes

And these are the days of Ezekiel
With dry bones becoming as flesh
And these are the days of his servant, David
Building the temple of praise, yes
And these are the days of the harvest
The fields are all white in the world
And we are the laborers that are in your vineyard
declaring the word of the Lord

CHORUS (2x)

There's no God like Jehovah…….

CHORUS (2x)

Game/Activity

Charades

Zechariah had to talk with his hands or write on a piece of paper to communicate with people after he had seen the angel.  Have the kids take turns acting out different words from the story (or from Christmas in general, if you are doing this lesson during the advent season).  Make sure each kid has had at least one chance to act. Remember, NO TALKING!!   Game can be repeated if time permits.
Word list:
• Angel
• Baby
• Zechariah
• Elizabeth/pregnant lady
• Temple
• Praying
• Speak
•
• Snow
• Christmas tree
• Presents
• Santa
• Reindeer
• Sledding
•

Crafts:

Snowflakes!

*This craft is intended to be in a winter/advent season.
Just like Zechariah, snowflakes are silent.  (It is a stretch I know!)  Have the kids cut out several of their own snowflakes.  Show them how they can fold the paper and make different kinds of cuts to get different designs in their snowflakes.  No two snowflakes are alike, so encourage creativity. (Feel free to replace this craft with one that may better fit with the story.  I have found that all children love making snowflakes.  I am also taking advantage of it being winter, and there being an over abundance of fun and exciting crafts for this time of year.)
Supplies:
• Paper (any color, but white blue and silver are best snow colors)
• Scissors
Directions:
1. Make your paper into a square. (This can be done before class if your kids are little and would have trouble doing this on their own.)
2. Fold your paper in half once, and then in half again.  Fold this small square into a triangle.
3. Make several cut outs in your folded paper, being careful to never cut all the way through your paper.
4. Unfold your paper to reveal you snowflake.

Name Plaques

Supplies needed:
• Air drying modeling clay
• Glitter
• glue
• Sequence
• Markers
• Toothpicks
• Straws
• Sting
• Rolling pins/cylinder blocks
Directions:
1. Give each child a portion of air drying modeling clay.  Have them roll the clay out into a small rectangle (or something that closely resembles a rectangle!)
2. Using toothpicks have the children etch their names into the clay.
3. Have the kids decorate their name plaques using markers, glitter and sequence.
4. Using a straw, poke a hole in the top center of the plaque. Tie a string through the hole. Set aside and allow to dry according to the clay packaging instructions.

Coloring Pages: